Austin quartet Frogmouth makes alternative rock feel gloriously unruly without losing sight of a good hook. On their sophomore album Strange Terrain, they lean further into the musical curiosity that has shaped their sound, pulling together ’90s-inspired punk, power pop and grunge with touches of spaghetti western swagger and progressive rock. The lively, unpredictable record feels distinctly their own, even when its influences come bubbling to the surface.
The opening track, “Champagne Taste on a Beer Can Budget,” wastes little time getting things moving. Grinding guitars and thumping drums charge ahead as the singer delivers his lines with reckless abandon. The guitars bend and writhe almost manically, while the instruments bustle together with an infectious sense of urgency.
“Alamogordo,” meanwhile, takes a playful detour into spaghetti western territory without leaving its classic punk foundations behind. Opening with a sweeping instrumental rush and a howl from the singer, it quickly tumbles into a catchy frenzy of fuzzy guitars and pounding beats. Its tongue-in-cheek affection for the New Mexican city gives the track an appealing sense of humour, while the musical mash-up makes for one of the album’s more colourful turns.
Then there’s “Clockmaker,” which brings melodic guitar work, tense verses and anthemic choruses into the mix. The singer’s thick, sharp voice cuts through the jangling and grinding guitars, with its pronounced sibilance adding extra bite to the delivery. Beneath him, the rhythm section rumbles steadily as the song stretches into more progressive territory, recalling the adventurous spirit of early Smashing Pumpkins and The Mars Volta while retaining the punchy appeal of Cake and Superchunk.
Frogmouth have been building their identity since 2022, evolving from their early power-pop and punk singles through the sardonic alternative rock of 2023’s Humor Me and the broader throwback influences of 2025’s Identity Thief. Strange Terrain feels like another step outward, embracing a wider musical palette without sanding down the band’s rough edges. Its charm lies in that restless combination of hooks, noise, humour and left turns. Frogmouth may be exploring strange terrain, but they sound right at home getting lost in it.
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Review by: Naomi Joan